Light, Shrouded in Darkness
by Nekonezume
Summary: A boy meets with a shadow being that changes his life forever and takes him on a journey, parts of it are quite dark. Lots of magic-oriented stuff, this takes place WAY before the Pokémon games and TV show. Chapters prologue-3, more coming soon.
1. Prologue

Light, Shrouded in Darkness, Prologue  
  
  
©2000 This story was written by Katie (oh sure! Like I'll give you my last name!). It is totally   
100% fictional, which is why it's a fanfic! If you wanna use it on your webpage, then you must   
e-mail me at katiec@nb.sympatico.ca. If I find my fanfic on your page without my permission,   
then I will personally kill you. Have a nice day :P!  
  
LEGAL POKéMON DESCLAIMER: Pokémon, characters, names, images and all related material are   
copyrights of Nintendo. All right reserved.   
  
NO copyright infringment was intended during the writing of this story. If anything is wrong  
with copyright then please e-mail me so I can correct it. Thank you.  
  
  
  
Light, Shrouded in Darkness, Prologue  
  
  
The fourteen-year-old boy's black cape rustled in the light breeze. With nothing but his   
Charmeleon to light the dark, gloomy path ahead, he walked uphill toward the peak where the full,  
silver moon shone and the stars twinkled like gems in the vast sea of twilight. He was going   
there for rest; for sleep, but something was following he and Charmeleon. He turned around and  
looked behind him.  
"Hello?" he called nervously. He could feel someone behind him; he could feel their presence.  
"Who are you? Show yourself!" A hesitant footstep was heard. "I won't hurt you," said the boy.  
He brushed his hand through his greasy, dark brown hair, as he always did when he was nervous,  
and awaited the answer.  
"Charmeleon," he whispered to the lizard with the flaming tail. "Charmeleon, use   
Flamethrower..." but before the Charmeleon could respond, a cold, inhuman voice spoke.  
"Flamethrower, hmm?" it inquired, a slight mocking to its voice. "Nice try, little boy, but I  
shall be unharmed by such primitive attempts." The boy was confused.  
"What do you want from me?" he demanded in a slow, patient voice. The voice laughed an inhuman  
laugh.  
"Your life."   
The boy ran.   
"Charmeleon! RUN!" but it was too late. Charmeleon had been pulled into the darkness with only  
muffled screams. The boy shook. "Who.. WHAT are you..?" he whispered. The evil laugh came again.  
The boy continued to run at such a pace he had never run before. He made it to the top of the  
path, gasping and wheezing and gulping in as much air as he possibly could. The moonlight beamed  
down on his tanned, slightly freckled face. The footsteps got closer.  
*What is it after?* he thought to himself, then remembered his one rare treasure...  
"Wait! Don't kill me!" The footsteps stopped. "I know what you want!" A snigger came from the  
direction of the footprints. "You want my ring... the Ring of the Dark Mage, don't you?" The  
evil thing of the shadows laughed its cold, wicked laugh.  
"What use would I have for that silly ring!? Ludicrous! All I want is to feed upon your soul!"  
The boy's face turned pure white.  
"Stop joking around..." he squeaked as he backed away from the evil voice... away from the dark.  
"Or... I'll have to... cast a..." he was on the verge of fainting from nervousness. He raised  
his hand faintly into the air.  
"HAHAH! Child, you cannot cast a spell upon me... I am... INDESTRUCTABLE!" the boy fought the  
unconsciousness and stayed awake.  
"N-no! You're just joking!" cried the boy, tears starting to dribble from his eyes down his  
cheeks. "Please stop!" The dark creature advanced on him. "P-please, if it's the ring you want,  
take it!" The being stopped.  
"You DID say it was of the Dark Mage?" it asked. The boy nodded, sobbing uncontrollably. "Then  
give it to me." the boy reached inside the pocket which contained the ring, grabbed it, and   
settled it on the ground.  
"Th-there you g-go..." said the boy in the most upset tone he had ever used. The being kneeled  
close to the boy and picked up the ring.  
"Thank you." said the dark thing. The boy then looked and felt very relieved, or at least until   
the next second. "But now I shall have your life!" The boy screamed in fear and agony as the dark  
evil washed over him like a heavy rain in April and engulfed the boy inside it. At that very  
moment the boy stopped screaming. He looked around, saw his good old Charmeleon walking out  
of the woods... only it was different... it was black, blacker than the purest black midnight  
ever seen, and on its tail a blazing ebony flame was burning. Its eyes were a steely cold  
grey that shone like tainted silver. The boy looked at himself all over. Something wasn't right,  
something was wrong... he couldn't think straight... someone was always seeming to interrupt  
his thoughts. He was utterly confused. He looked at his hands... pure bone. What had happened!?  
Then, he knew.  
  
He was one with the shadow.  
  
  
  
  
----------------------------------  
  
Not bad for a prologue, eh? Part one shall be arriving soon. 


	2. Chapter 1

Light, Shrouded in Darkness, Part 1  
  
©2000 This story was written by Katie (oh sure! Like I'll give you my last name!). It is totally  
100% fictional, which is why it's a fanfic! If you wanna use it on your webpage, then you must   
e-mail me at katiec@nb.sympatico.ca. If I find my fanfic on your page without my permission,   
then I will personally kill you. Have a nice day :P!  
  
LEGAL POKéMON DESCLAIMER: Pokémon, characters, names, images and all related material are   
copyrights of Nintendo. All right reserved.   
  
NO copyright infringment was intended during the writing of this story. If anything is wrong  
with copyright then please e-mail me so I can correct it. Thank you.  
  
  
  
Light, Shrouded in Darkness, Part 1  
  
A young woman, eighteen years of age, ran as quickly as utterly possible down the dense forest   
trail, trying to catch her breath as she ran.  
"Get back here, you-you witch!" shouted an angry male voice, the clomping of Rapidash hooves   
drawing nearer to the woman. She counted her options. One; she could jump into some nearby   
bushes, or two; she could continue to run, faint from exhaustion, and get caught by the Rockets   
chasing her. She gratefully dove into the bushes in a somersault. She hid and peered through the   
leaves, breathing heavily. The Rapidash sped by, masking the woman's hard breathing, thus   
avoiding her completely. Unfortunetly, the moment after the Rapidash and their mountees climbed   
a hill and disappeared, the woman realized she had just taken a headfirst dive into a bramble   
patch. She leapt in agony, flying out of the bramble bush and landing on the ground... flat on   
her back, causing her more pain than necessary.  
"What is my problem today?" she muttered. "First those damn Rockets come and find my camp, next   
they trash it, THEN they send their oversized Growlithe to try and kill me, then they chase me,   
and now I'm face up on the ground covered in brambles. Things do NOT look good." She grabbed a   
PokéBall from her side belt and released the Pokémon inside; a Ponyta. But this Ponyta however   
was much different; her fire mane was golden like the sun, burning brightly, as was her tail;   
the most beautiful Ponyta ever seen. This Ponyta however was not a fighting Ponyta; she was used  
solely for riding.   
"Okay, Sunshine," the woman whispered, mounting the golden Ponyta. "Do your stuff." She kicked   
at the horse's sides gently and they sped off, in the opposite direction of the Rockets.  
  
The shadow lurked behind a tree. He had been this way for five years now, and he still was not   
used to it. He disliked being in the light, for when he was, his Other Self would yell at him.   
So he kept in the shadows. Hiding behind another tree, he saw a girl riding a Ponyta with a mane  
yellow as the moon stop at a nearby wreck.  
"Just great," said the woman, dismounting the Ponyta with an angry scowl, "stupid Rockets." She   
continued by cleaning up part of the mess that had been left. "Great, now I have to get the   
remaining food, the matches..." she sighed, "damn. Sometimes I hate being a rebel." Shadow   
suddenly had an urge to help her.  
*EAT...* screamed the voice in his head. *FEAST UPON HER SOUL...* Shadow sighed.   
"Look," he whispered to himself. "I eat stuff a REGULAR HUMAN EATS, got that?"   
*EAT!* the voice screamed again. *THIS HUNGER FOR SOULS IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER! EAT! NOW!* Shadow   
sighed.  
"I'm not hungry," he whispered. "In fact, I'm quite full from all that fish we ate back there."   
The voice in his head became aggrivated and desperate.  
*HAD YOU EATEN THEM ALIVE, I MAY NOT BE HUNGRY!* Shadow laughed and stood.   
"I was never too partial to sushi," he said with a small smirk.   
*YOU THINK THIS IS A TIME FOR JOKING!?* Shadow chuckled.  
"Do you ever stop yelling? Come on. Let's help this person out. Come, Charmeleon." Shadow's   
Charmeleon, still darker than the blackest night, stepped from the shadows as well.  
*NO!!! NOT INTO THE LIGHT!!! I AM POWERLESS IN LIGHT!*   
"All the better," Shadow whispered in a breath. He stepped out of the shadows, his Charmeleon   
close behind.  
Shadow was his name, with barely any memory of his past; he couldn't even remember his first   
name, let alone his last. He had never seen his face; he was always in a black cloak that sagged  
slightly over his head, shrouding it in shadow and making it impossible to see. The cloak was   
quite tattered, for he always wore it and nothing else for the past half-decade. On his hands,   
well, what hands? Basically, his hands were skeletal, which was the reason he wore the cloak   
over his face; he was afraid that, too, was a skull, and he didn't want to frighten anyone. On   
one of his bone-fingers, he wore the Ring of the Dark Mage. He knew who the Dark Mage was; one   
of the great elemental mages from long ago; that was the ring that contained his power; but he   
had no idea where he got it or who had given it to him, he just knew that he wore it always.  
And then, there was his Charmeleon. His only, and first, Pokémon. All he knew about this   
Pokémon was that it too was part of the evil Shadow being that captured Shadow's soul.   
Shadow walked over to the woman, causing the Ponyta to whinney shrilly and rear up. The woman   
glared at Shadow with an icy gaze.  
"What the hell are you trying to do!?" she yelled. "Bring the Rockets straight to us!? There   
there, it's all right, Sunshine..." she whispered to the Ponyta, nuzzling her softly. After the   
Ponyta had calmed, she looked Shadow over. "Well, you're dressed for doom, aren't you?" Shadow  
cleared his throat slightly in discomfort.  
"Hello, there, miss, I came to see if you need any help." The girl blinked a few times, then   
smiled warmly.  
"Well, you didn't have to scare the living crap out of my Sunshine here in the process, but I   
appreciate it! I need tons of help, thanks for offering." She bended over to pick up a beat-up,   
dirty sack. "Can you help me pick up some of my food? Those damn Rockets were through here."   
Shadow nodded.   
"Yeah? I've heard some wandering campers talk about them... the Rockets... Team Rocket, is it?"   
the girl nodded. "Yeah... they said any rebels would die... I fail to see the point in that."   
The girl looked at him once more.  
"So what's up with your deathday outfit? It's kinda creepy." Shadow cleared his throat once   
more.  
"Can we talk about something else?" he asked nervously. He didn't want to scare this beautiful   
girl into disliking him. The girl looked at her feet.  
"I see. Well, my name's Lillite. I'm eighteen. How about you?" She looked up at the hood of   
Shadow's cloak.  
"I don't know my real name, so please, call me Shadow. It's what I most resemble, so I suppose   
it suits me. I am nineteen years old." Lillite nodded. *Lillite...* Shadow thought gleefully.   
*What a beautiful name... I suppose it suits her, with that radiant golden hair, shining silver   
eyes, her name sounds just like light itself...* And yes, her hair was golden like the sun, eyes  
like gleaming stars in the twilight, her skin the purest shade of natural tanned peach. Yes, she   
was beautiful. She glanced at Shadow's Charmeleon, then jumped back in shock.  
"What happened to him!?" She whispered in a frightened voice. Shadow looked at Charmeleon, who   
looked back at Shadow with alarm in its eyes. Shadow didn't know what to say, so he decided to  
make a joke of it.  
"Oh, well, let's just call him a 'Charred-meleon'." Lillite laughed a little.  
"That may not answer my question," she said, hoisting her makeshift tent onto the back of her   
Ponyta, "but that doesn't really matter. Thanks for the help." Shadow helped Lillite to lift the   
tent over onto Sunshine's back. Then, Lillite had a quick glance at Shadow's hands. The colour   
drained from her face as she glared at Shadow's skeletal hands.  
"Y-y-you!" She whispered in a mixture of fright and loathe. "Y-you're a Shadow Dweller!   
A-and..." she saw the ring on one finger of bone. "...THE RING OF THE DARK MAGE...!" she yelled,   
picking up other stray items and stuffing them in a tattered bag dangling lightly from her   
shoulder. "G-go away! You're not gonna eat MY soul!" She mounted her Ponyta in fear. Shadow   
sighed; he had been discovered.  
"Wait!" he said, clasping Lillite's hand in a bony grip. Lillite screamed shrilly, and dropped   
backwards off her horse into a faint.   
  
Lillite awoke and looked at the sky. It was very dark. What had happened? How long had she been   
asleep? The night sky was lit by the soft light of the full moon and the jewel-like stars   
glowing aound it. She felt a soft warmth to her left, so she turned to see what it was...  
A fire. A small bonfire crackling beside her. She sat up and looked around. There was Sunshine,   
with every bit of Lillite's ruined camp material off the ground and on her back. She surveyed   
the scenery once more, and saw a figure in a black cloak, cooking a fish on a stick that he had   
shoved into the fire. Lillite gasped.  
"You...!" she shouted angrily, standing. Shadow looked at her.  
"Oh, hi, Lillite. You were really out, you slept like a log-"  
"SAVE IT!" she yelled, walking as quickly as her legs could carry her without running to   
Sunshine. "I'm out of here! Don't ever come near me again!" she mounted the Ponyta and kicked   
her heels into its side. It ran off into the darkness.  
"Damn," muttered Shadow, removing the speared fish from the fire and blowing on it.  
*IS THAT ANY KIND OF GRATITUDE?* shouted the voice in his head. *CHASE HER! AND EAT HER SOUL!*   
Shadow took a bite of his fish.  
"I can't say I blame her," he said through a mouthful. "I'd be scared of me, too."  
*BUT YOU HELPED HER!* boomed the voice. *THAT WAS NO SIGN OF APPRECIATION! CHASE HER! AND EAT   
HER SOUL!* Shadow stood up.  
"LISTEN!" he yelled. "I don't care for eating souls! Do whatever when I'm asleep, but I'm NOT   
eating a human being."  
*FINE!* the voice bellowed in Shadow's head. *I'M TAKING OVER THIS BODY FOR NOW!* Shadow   
started making involuntary movements as the Shadow Dweller within took over.  
*STOP!* shouted Shadow inside his head, but it was too late. The Shadow Dweller stuffed the   
rest of the fish into his mouth and ran off into the direction Lillite had rode off on Sunshine.  
"NEVER!" laughed the Dweller's inhuman voice, which was quite different from Shadow's. Shadow   
was looking out the eyes of the Dweller, which were now not his own. The Dweller ran faster   
and faster, until he finally saw Lillite (after approximately an hour of running through the   
wood), sitting by a fire.  
"Can you believe that?" Lillite whispered to Sunshine, stroking her golden mane of fire. "I   
mean, a SHADOW DWELLER, trying to make conversation just so he could devour my soul. He seemed   
like such a nice guy!"  
*I am...* Shadow said inside his head.  
"NO YOU'RE NOT," yelled the Dweller, scaring Lillite and making Sunshine rear up.  
"Who's there!?" Lillite demanded, standing.  
*Look what you did!* Shadow said. *You idiot! You totally blew our cover! I hope she gets you   
killed!* The Dweller laughed.  
"REMEMBER!" He boomed. "IF I DIE, YOU MUST ALSO!" Lillite lit a torch.  
"Show yourself!" She yelled. The Shadow Dweller laughed.  
"GLADLY!" Came his inhuman voice. He steadily walked from the wood into the light of Lillite's   
fire. "HERE I AM!" Lillite gasped.  
"Damn! Another Shadow Dweller! That other one must have told his friends!" The Dweller laughed.  
"I ASSURE YOU, I AM THE SAME DWELLER." He sneered. Lillite frowned.  
"Wh-what!? How can that be? That other one's voice was human." The Shadow Dweller laughed.  
"YES, YES. HE IS HUMAN IN FACT. I ATE HIS SOUL YEARS AGO, BUT SOMETHING HAPPENED. HE BECAME   
PART OF ME, AND NOW WE HAVE SPLIT PERSONALITIES. HIS CHARMELEON, WHOSE SOUL I ALSO ATE,   
STRANGELY HAD A DIFFERENT REACTION. HE NOW HAS PART OF ME WITH HIM, AND HE MAY WALK FREELY,   
WHEN I CHOOSE. IT WAS A VERY BAD IDEA TO SNUB SHADOW LIKE THAT. HAD YOU NOT DONE THAT, I WOULD   
NOT BE HERE TO FEAST UPON YOUR SOUL NOW!" Lillite gasped as the Dweller took another step near   
the fire. Then, he became powerless from the light, causing Shadow to take over. Lillite began   
to back away.  
"Wait, Lillite! It's all right! I've taken over for the moment!" Lillite looked at him, then   
smiled.  
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have snubbed you like that... I was so surprised to be alive when I   
awoke... I thought you were trying to catch me while I was most vulnerable, so I left as soon   
as I could... but it was so nice of you to finish packing my things and to help me out when I   
fainted. I'm sorry... I thought you were trying to kill me..." Shadow laughed.  
"No problem. I often give that impression. How about you and I join up to try and get more   
rebels together, and altogether defeat the Rockets? I'll make sure my Shadow Dweller 'friend'   
here doesn't eat you or your Ponyta or anyone else but those damn Rockets. How does that sound?"   
Lillite smiled and nodded.  
"That sounds great. But if your Dweller 'friend' does eat my Ponyta, he's going to get his butt   
kicked. Hear that, Dweller?"  
*YES, FINE!* the Dweller shouted, agitated, in Shadow's head. Shadow laughed.  
"He said 'YES FINE'." Lillite smiled.  
"Good."  
  
That night, Shadow slept in a seperate tent, or at least he THOUGHT he did. The Dweller let   
Shadow sleep inside his head, while he took over and went in search for souls to eat and satisfy   
his hunger. He used the Ring of the Dark Mage to seek out nearby Rockets or campers. He found   
one sleeping person, and ate his soul, leaving him dead under his blankets. He walked back to   
Lillite's camp and lay down inside the tent as the sun began to rise.  
  
Hours later, Shadow awoke. He stretched and yawned, then stepped outside the the tent to greet   
the day. He noticed that Lillite was not yet awake, so he thought he'd borrow Sunshine to catch   
some breakfast at the lake. He gently nudged the Ponyta, waking her up.  
"Sshh," he whispered, mounting her. "To the lake." Sunshine galloped off into the wood and to   
the lake.  
This was many years ago from the Pokémon we know today. You see, nowadays the humans of Pokémon   
world have forgotten how to use magic and elemental powers, plus the now weak Magikarp made good  
Pokémon, as well as good meals.  
Shadow brought Sunshine to a halt by the lake, and shut his eyes (invisible, of course, behind   
his cloak).  
"Balaccio," he began in a chant, "Bringius fishius rodo." A long black stick with string   
attached formed in his hands, apparently a fishing rod. An undersized Caterpie inched around on   
the ground, catching Shadow's eye. He picked it up, and tied it to the string. He dipped the end  
of the string with the Caterpie into the water and waited. Five minutes later, he felt a strong   
tug at the end of his rope. His eyes widened.  
"Oh, crap, this is a big one," he muttered, tugging on the rod. He stood and pulled with all   
his might. He tugged, until finally, the large Magikarp flopped out of the water. Shadow smiled   
triumphanly.  
"All right!" He whistled. "Come here, Sunshine." The Ponyta slowly made her way over to Shadow,   
and allowed him to mount her, the Magikarp in his hands. Before he kicked off, Shadow muttered a   
counter-spell that made the rod disappear. "Bulluccio, Disappearus fishius rodo." The fishing   
rod promptly disappeared. "All right, Sunshine. Back to the camp!" He jabbed his ankle lightly   
into Sunshine's side, causing her to run, the Magikarp flopping limply in Shadow's hands.   
Sunshine sped back to the camp, and found Lillite standing there, a look of utter panic across   
her face.  
"Uh oh," Shadow whispered.  
*NICE ONE, SHADOW,* the Dweller laughed in his head. Lillite looked in the direction of   
Sunshine, and yelled at the top of her lungs.  
"YOU MORON!" she screamed. "YOU... YOU STUPID! YOU IDIOT! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! I THOUGHT YOUR   
FRIEND ATE MY PONYTA! YOU IDIOT! YOU SCARED THE LIVING-"  
"Whoa! Calm down, Lillite! I just borrowed her to get some breakfast! See?" he dismounted   
Sunshine and showed Lillite the large Magikarp he held. Lillite frowned.  
"Well the next time you want to use my Ponyta, ASK." Sunshine walked over to Lillite, and   
nuzzled her, almost as if to say "it's all right". Lillite smiled. "Sorry, Sunshine." Sunshine   
whinnied softly. "Oh, I see," said Lillite.  
"What was that?" Shadow asked. Lillite smiled.  
"Oh, right, you can't understand Sunshine. You see, I know how to speak Ponyta. I could since   
birth. Sunshine said that she's taken a liking to you." Shadow laughed lightly.  
"Tell her I like her, too." Ponyta whinnied softly with a content look on her face. "Oh yeah...   
Pokémon can understand humans..." Lillite giggled.  
*Well,* Shadow thought. *I'm already on good terms with this girl, even though she thought YOU   
ate her Ponyta.*   
*I ALMOST DID,* said the Shadow Dweller inside his head, *IT LOOKED SO GOOD, AND JUICY, AND   
FULL OF SOUL...* Shadow laughed aloud.  
*Enough joking around.* Lillite looked at him quizzically.  
"Erm, are you all right? What's so funny?" Shadow laughed again.  
"Sorry. The Dweller and I were having a conversation in my head." Before Lillilte could ask   
about the conversation (or at least call him crazy), Shadow changed the subject. "So anyway,   
let's eat." Sunshine used Flamethrower at a pile of sticks which caught fire.  
*There's something good about this guy,* Lillite thought, watching Shadow put the Magikarp in a   
pan and place the pan in the fire, *I wonder what it is.*  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
NOTES!  
  
Okay, so some people have accused me of copying Ace Sanchez's "Pokémon MASTER" fanfic. I must   
clear this up: I HAVE read his story (all eleven chapters, and the preview of chapter twelve;   
no, I could not wait :p), it's AWESOME, but no, this fanfic is NOT based on it. I don't MEAN for  
it to sound at all like his story! I just wanted to write a fanfiction series slightly similar   
to my favourite book series, Harry Potter (and I said SLIGHTLY SIMILAR, not same).  
  
Notice this is set many years before the Pokémon we know today; Magikarp were good to eat, and   
the Shadow Dwellers were iliminated years after (more info on the last chapter, though). This is   
going to be a little like Sailormoon N: takes forever to write :p But don't worry, I'm not   
writing this on paper like I am Sailormoon N, so it'll take a little less than forever (I hope).  
  
I'm thinking of writing an epilogue after this series is finished (as a matter of fact, I   
will). I've already planned out the ending, I just need to think of the middle :p  
  
Now for the interesting part: Where I got the idea for this fanfic. Well, on ICQ (my number is   
46579662, nickname Nekonezume for all you who might wanna talk to me via ICQ), me and my friend   
Analyze (hi Analyze ^_~) did a little RP-ing (role-playing), and I had a character named   
"Shadow" from the beginning; he was a member of Team Rocket and we had captured Analyze and her   
friends. At the time, I hadn't thought of a form for him, but a few days later, I decided he   
would look like how I described him in this fic, except no skeleton hands and no "other self";   
he was a guy in a black cloak. Later, he confessed his love for me to Analyze's friends (played   
by Analyze though) and we (Shadow and I) ended up kissing after I thanked him for something and   
kissed him on the cheek. We still RP, and now we're looking for Lord Voldemort (we added a   
little Harry Potter stuff in there) and just found a Vulpix village. You will be updated on the   
goings on of our RPG as this story continues ^_~ that is, if Analyze doesn't kill me after she   
reads this... O_o :p  
  
That's all for now. If you have any questions or comments (nice ones are appreciated...),   
please contact me on ICQ (as I told you, 46579662) or e-mail at katiec@nb.sympatico.ca or   
stoopid_cooper@hotmail.com . Thanks for reading!  
  
Nekonezume 


	3. Chapter 2

Light, Shrouded in Darkness, Part 2  
  
©2000 This story was written by Katie (oh sure! Like I'll give you my last name!). It is totally  
100% fictional, which is why it's a fanfic! If you wanna use it on your webpage, then you must   
e-mail me at katiec@nb.sympatico.ca. If I find my fanfic on your page without my permission,   
then I will personally kill you. Have a nice day :P!  
  
LEGAL POKéMON DESCLAIMER: Pokémon, characters, names, images and all related material are   
copyrights of Nintendo. All right reserved.   
  
NO copyright infringment was intended during the writing of this story. If anything is wrong  
with copyright then please e-mail me so I can correct it. Thank you.  
  
  
  
Light, Shrouded in Darkness, Part 2  
  
Lillite awoke with a start, cold sweat dripping down her forehead. She brushed her silvery   
blonde bangs back, wet with perspiration.  
"Augh, these dreams have to stop." She muttered, rethinking the dream she just had and wiping  
a tear from her eye. She looked back into her mind and thought about the dream she had just  
awaken from.  
  
The village was burning. Burning. Burning like the pain she felt when she looked back into   
her past. She clutched a beat-up teddy bear and ran out of her house as it erupted in   
flames.  
She was seven at the time, too young to know what was happening.  
"Mommy!" She cried into the house. Her mother stumbled out, coughing and roughly singed.   
"Mommy, what's happening?" Her mother coughed once more, and fell onto the ground.  
"Lily," she whispered. The girl looked down at her mother. "Lily, I want you to take Ponyta..."  
she coughed once more. "T-take Ponyta... and leave... save yourself..." the girl choked back  
tears.  
"But what about you, mommy?" She whispered, a single tear rolling down her face. "And daddy?  
Please let me help..." Her mother removed a ring from her finger and gave it to the little   
girl.  
"We'll meet again someday," said the mother with a small smile. "Now run!" The girl clutched  
the ring in her hand and ran to the stable, taking out the Ponyta inside. Tears streamed down  
her face as she took out the fire horse and mounted it. She slid the ring onto her ring finger  
and her brown hair blazed silver-blonde, as did the mane of the horse. She rode the Ponyta out   
to where her mother was. Her mother stood.  
"Always remember, Lily," she said as the girl's father ran out of the house, carrying a Meowth,  
"your father and I love you very much. Take Meowther with you." She handed her daughter a  
PokéBall, and the girl recalled the Meowth. "We don't want any harm to come to you, so we're   
letting you go. May you live a long and happy life, dear." A tear fell from the girl's face.  
"Mommy," she whimpered, "what's going to happen to you and daddy? Why can't you come with me?"  
A sudden explosion came from another house. The little girl's best friend's house. The house  
next to THEIR house. A look of panic washed over her parents' faces.  
"Just go!" Her mother yelled. "There's no time! You will learn someday! You will learn your  
fate, your destiny. Now ride on, into the forest!" The girl kissed her parents goodbye, and ran  
off. She turned away from the forest ahead of her, fully entrusting her beloved Ponyta, and  
looked back at the burning wreckage of the town, tears falling from her face. She then heard  
a scream, and saw her house explode.   
"NO!" She wailed. "TURN AROUND, Ponyta!" She sobbed, jerking the Ponyta's reins to the right.  
The Ponyta turned around and headed back to the village. Back to the twisted, burning remains  
of the little girl's house. She put her teddy bear on the Ponyta's back and dismounted it. She  
emotionlessly walked toward the limp bodies of her parents; black and singed from the explosion.  
Her mother's eyes weakly opened.  
"Lily..." she muttered, "I... told you to run..." she was interrupted by the little girl's  
loud sobs. "You're father is... anyway... we held them off for you as long as we could... take  
good care of Sunshine... the Ponyta I mean... and Meowther... remember... we love you very  
much... good... bye..." her mother faded and died. The small girl began to cry uncontrollably.  
"M-m-mommy... d-daddy... why did this happen!? WHO DID THIS!?" She screamed into the night.  
"SHOW YOUR FACE!" An evil laugh came from a far off corner, and the bright flame of a Charizard  
erupted beside him.  
"I did." Said the voice. The same voice who posessed the evil laugh. The young girl wiped the  
tears off her face.  
"You... monster! I hate you!" She threw a rock in the direction of the voice, and the rock  
came into contact with his shoulder.  
"Argh! You little bitch!" He screamed. Then, he laughed. "Have good aim though. Team Rocket  
could do with a little girl like you." The girl frowned.  
"Team Rocket?" She said aloud. "What's that?" The shadow laughed.   
"Something you'll never forget. Away, Charizard!" He hopped on his Charizard and they soared   
out of the sky.  
  
Lillite clutched her old teddy bear, sobbing quietly.  
"Lil?" Came Shadow's voice. Lillite remembered how her mother used to call her Lil. "Are you  
all right?" Lillite wiped her tears away and hid the bear back in her backpack.  
"Fine. Just fine. Let's eat." She emerged from the tent, clutching a PokéBall.  
"Hmm? What's in there?" Shadow asked. Lillite smiled.  
"An old friend. Let's go, Meowther!" She tossed the PokéBall, and the Meowth she refused to  
let out since the age of seven emerged. It was looking scrawny and fuzzy, but still alive. The  
Meowth looked at Lillite, sniffed her, then jumped up and began to lick her face playfully.  
Shadow looked a bit confused, but that wasn't visable from under his cloak.  
"Nice Meowth," he said. Lillite smiled.  
"Sorry I didn't get you out of there sooner Meowther, but I have my reasons..." her voice  
quivered slightly, and it made Shadow wonder.  
"Lillite, are you sure you're okay? You seemed upset when I walked past your tent earlier.  
If you want to talk..." Lillite shook her head and gathered herself.  
"No, I'm fine." Then she looked down at Meowther. "And you," she laughed, "I bet you're hungry.  
How about I get you some food?" Meowther meowed happily.  
"I caught some fish this morning when you were asleep." Shadow offered generously. "You can  
have as many as you like, Meowther." The scruffy cat meowed again, and sat by the fire while  
Shadow removed a dead Magikarp from a beat up potato sack. He bent over and offered it to the  
Meowth, who gratefully accepted. Lillite smiled.  
*Maybe he's not so bad after all,* she thought, *but still... there's something I don't like  
about him...*  
"Lillite? You're just staring off into space... you sure everything's all right?" Shadow asked,  
standing. Lillite blushed a little bit.  
"I'm fine. Just thinking." She replied.  
"Oh?" Said Shadow. "What about?" Lillite shook her head.  
"Nothing. Come on, let's eat!" Lillite sat down beside the fire. Then, the sound of a running   
Rapidash sounded through the woods, and a Rocket on a firey steed galloped into Lillite and   
Shadow's camping area.  
"There you are, you stupid brat!" He shouted, dismounting the firehorse and walking over to  
Lillite. "Come with me!" He drew his sword and pressed the sharp, bloodstained blade against  
Lillite's neck. Lillite gulped.  
"Oh, no you don't." Shadow interrupted. The Rocket lowered the blade and spun around to see   
him. The Rocket gulped.  
"Sh-Shadow Dweller..." he whispered, frightened.  
"What do you want with her?" Shadow growled.  
*WANT ME TO TAKE OVER?* Came the voice of the Shadow Dweller.  
*Yes, all right.* Quickly, the Shadow Dweller inside took over.  
*GOOD. THIS MIGHT SATISFY MY HUNGER.* The Shadow Dweller leapt toward the Rocket.  
"YOU LOOK LIKE AN INTERESTING SPECIMEN. MIGHT BE TASTY." He grabbed the Rocket's sword and  
tossed it backwards. He then opened his mouth wide, when Shadow quickly thought something out  
to the Dweller.  
*WAIT!* He screamed in his mind. *Tell Lillite not to look.* The Dweller sighed and turned to  
Lillite.  
"YOUR FRIEND WANTS YOU TO TURN AWAY." Lillite winced, then turned around. She heard the clank  
of a shield as it hit the ground, and a muffled scream, then silence. "AHH. STUFFED." Said the  
Dweller. Lillite turned around, and saw the Rocket lying motionless, face gray, shield lying  
on the ground beside him. Lillite looked sick.  
"SORRY YOU HAD TO SEE THAT." Said the Dweller, but then Shadow's laughing voice cut in. "Wow,  
Mr. Evil Bad Guy Soul Reaper, apologising. Never saw that coming." Lillite laughed also, but   
still looked a little green.  
"What happened to him?" She asked Shadow.  
"The Dweller ate his soul. He's dead." Lillite's face turned pale.  
"R-really?" She whispered. Shadow nodded. "Wow... I knew you were dangerous... but I had no   
idea..." Shadow stopped her.  
"What do you mean I'M dangerous!?" He asked, fuming. Lillite laughed.  
"Oh no, the fact you have split personalities and that your other personality is a vicious  
life-sucking shadow isn't dangerous at all, so sorry!" She said, sarcasm overflowing from her  
mouth like a bucket with too much water. Even though Shadow's face was not visable, it was  
evident that he was angry.  
"Well I'M not dangerous, whether you want to believe that or not." He muttered in anger. "I'm  
taking this sword, and leaving. You keep that stupid shield." Lillite frowned.  
"Why don't you take it?" She asked, "seeing as your only line of defense is to eat people's   
souls." Shadow clenched the sword angrily in his bony grip, then walked forward.  
"Come, Charmeleon," he said quietly, but calmly, "we have better things to do." Lillite laughed  
again.  
"Like eat the souls of the living?" She sputtered, making Shadow stop in his tracks. In a   
fluidlike motion, he turned around, and drew the cold, bloodstained blade of his newfound sword  
to Lillite's neck.  
"I swear if you don't shut up, you'll have a cut across your neck the size of a Gyarados.   
Understand me?" Lillite gulped nervously, and nodded. Shadow put the sword back in its sheath  
(stolen from the Rocket, who still lay lifeless on the ground), and walked on, his Charmeleon  
following close behind at a steady pace.  
"Fine, sure, go ahead and leave, see what I care. Not like I'VE ever been alone before!"   
Lillite shrouted, sarcastic laughter brimming from her throat. "Not like I've never had to face  
Team Rocket alone! NOT LIKE I EVER WANTED YOU TO HELP ME!" She packed up her things, and mounted  
her golden-maned steed. "Let's get out of here, Sunshine. I've met enough asses for one day."  
Meowther hopped on the back of the horse, and Lillite called him back to his PokéBall. Then,  
they galloped off.  
  
Lillite was surrounded. Surrounded by Rockets, yes, Rockets everywhere. All riding Rapidash.  
One sneered and stepped forward.  
"So, missy," said the Rocket, gently caressing Lillite's silky golden hair, "wut happen'd to  
Allan?" This Rocket was a brute, that was certain. His dark brown hair was messy; very messy.  
The only front teeth he had were his two main teeth, only spread very far apart. He had small  
wisps of whiskers, but nothing more, and his teeth were as yellow as a freshly-picked goldenrod,  
though the smell of his breath was nothing identical to the sweet flower. Lillite forwned in   
utter disgust.  
"Why would I tell you, pig?" She growled. The Rocket made an angry face.  
"Cuz if yas don', we'll be takin' yeh to tha dungeons till yeh talk!" He sputtered. Lillite   
laughed.  
"As if that scares me. And how would I know where he is?" Lillite shrugged with a smug look on   
her face. The brute smirked.  
"Cuz ya gots his shield." Lillite stuck her nose in the air.  
"How do you know it's his?" She asked knowingly.  
"I ain't stupid, missy, I KNOW Allan's shield." Lillite roared with laughter, almost falling  
off her firehorse.  
"You don't seem too intelligent!" She laughed, clutching her side. The brute drew his sword.  
"That's it! I've had enough of you, yeh little smart ass!" He lunged at the Ponyta with the  
sword, making it rear up in fright. Lillite clung on for dear life.  
  
"Huh!? What!?" Shadow asked, perking up as the Ring of the Dark Mage glowed with a mysterious  
black energy.   
*Lill... ite...* the Ring hissed, glowing brighter every second. *trou... ble...* Shadow  
stood.  
"Lillite's in trouble! Come on, Charmeleon!" The two ran off.   
  
Lillite leaped off her horse, and backed up as the brute came closer, poking the blade nearer  
to Lillite's neck. Lillite gulped.  
*Second near death experience today... man this is NOT good...* she gulped. *I wish Shadow  
were here... damn, why was I so MEAN to him!?*   
"Brutus!" Came the voice of another Rocket (this one sounding more intelligent), "Leave her be!  
If you kill her now, we won't know what happened to Allan!" Brutus shook his ugly head.  
"She's gonna pay fer insultin' my intelligence." Lillite laughed to herself.  
*Not much there to insult!* She thought with a smirk. Brutus frowned.  
"What're yeh laughin' at?" He growled. Lillite stopped immediately.  
"Nothing!" She said frantically. Brutus nudged his sword closer to her throat.  
"Tell me what yeh was laughin' at, NOW!" He yelled, getting ready to cut Lillite.  
"Nothing!" Lillite repeated, getting ready to block Brutus's strike by gripping her newfound   
shield. The angry man held his sword up high in the air, getting ready to strike. Lillite   
cringed.  
"Lilliiiiiiiiite!" Came a familiar voice. A loud thunk was heard, and Brutus fell onto the  
ground, knocked out cold. Where Brutus was, Shadow stood, holding his sword (end first) above   
where Brutus's head had been.  
"A Shadow Dweller! RUN!" A Rocket screamed. The other Rockets turned around and their Rapidash  
ran at the speed of light, as did Brutus's Rapidash, leaving Brutus as the only Rocket there.   
Shadow picked Brutus's pockets as Lillite stood there gaping.  
"How did you...? Why did you...?" Shadow stood and pressed one finger gently against Lillite's  
lips, making her squirm slightly at the sight of a skeletal finger touching her.  
"I have some reliable sorces." He whispered. Lillite removed his finger from her lips.  
"But WHY did you do it? After all the mean things I said to and about you?" She asked, shaking  
her head. "I just don't understand..."  
"It's all right," Shadow whispered soothingly, "I understand, it's natural for you to be scared  
of me. Everyone is." Lillite sighed.  
"I thought you were just using me, that's all. Using me for a good meal." The Dweller's voice  
spoke up.  
"MAYBE I WAS, BUT HE WASN'T." Shadow took over.  
"You stupid Dweller!" He growled, then relaxed. "He's just joking, Lil." Lillite laughed, then  
hugged Shadow around the waist.  
"Thanks for saving me, I owe you one!" She said, releasing herself from the hug. "Now, come  
on, let me have Brutus's sword. And his cape. Can I steal them? Pleeease?" Shadow laughed.  
"No need to ask my permission, steal away." Lillite grinned broadly as she removed her shield.  
She flopped Brutus's enormous carcass over and took off his ebony cape. She turned around and  
Shadow tied it around her neck. She then bent over and removed Brutus's belt with a giggle.  
"Much easier to steal the entire belt. I wouldn't have any place to tuck the sword without  
a belt." She put on the belt, and buckled it. Then, she laughed. "I wonder what's going to   
happen when he wakes up." She laughed again, with Shadow joining in.  
"Char, meleon!" Charmeleon muttered, pointing to Brutus, who was starting to awaken.  
"Okay, follow me!" Lillite breathed, mounting her horse, as did Shadow. Charmeleon climbed onto  
Shadow's back and clung on. They galloped out of there.  
  
After a few hours of running through the woods, the trees thinned out a little, whereas the  
bushes thickened. They came to a small clearing surrounded by trees and bushes, and decided to  
stop there to eat. Shadow built a fire, and brought out his bag of fish, which was getting to  
smell quite pungent by that time. They polished off the fish, and set up their tents. Meowther  
got brought out once more, and he and Lillite fell asleep in the tent, whereas Shadow stayed  
awake to watch the fire.   
About an hour after his watch started, Shadow heard a rustling in the bushes. His instinctds  
told him: Rocket. He removed his sword from its sheath and stepped into the darkness.  
"Who's there? Show yourself!" He called into the dark wood. A whimper was heard, but slowly,   
a figure crept out of the brush. "Come with me. I will not hurt you." Said Shadow softly.  
"B-but you're a Shadow Dweller." Came the voice of a young girl. Shadow laughed lightly.  
"No I'm not. I'm PART Shadow Dweller, but that part is not controlled by me. Don't even think  
about it, Dweller." The Shadow Dweller's voice kicked in.  
"SORRY." It hissed.  
"Anyway," Shadow continued, "you may call me Shadow. Come on, no one's going to hurt you." The  
girl slowly exited the brush, and stood by the fire. Shadow gasped when he saw the girl.  
"What... you're a...!"   
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
NOTES!  
  
Heh heh, sorry ^^' anyone who's subscribed to my mailing list will find out what this girl   
really is. It's not that scary or surprising, or shocking, but it'll be kind of interesting ^^'  
Anyway, I have this entire series planned out, and it's going to be pretty awesome! I know so  
far, it's a little confusing, what with the Ring telling Shadow about Lillite and all, but it'll  
be un-confusing at the end and it'll all come together. I'm the only one who knows about all   
this stuff, so don't go around asking my friends! *Evil laugh*  
  
Fortunetly, SailormoonN part 4 was finished sooner than expected, so I was able to start and  
finish this in a couple days (I think...). And I've decided that I'll do SS Anne II and this  
in turn, and work on SMN at the same time, just to speed things up. Yay!  
  
Well, Analyze was kinda happy that I added her in the notes last time, and she didn't kill me  
either :D so this means I can continue with the RP-stuff! We'd entered the village, and a Vulpix  
told Ana (Analyze) that there was a Vulpix here that knew of Ana, and it turned out to be Ana's  
old Vulpix! The Vulpix who told Ana about HER Vulpix joined up with Shadow, who is now her  
owner! She can talk, too! Ana gets visited by a mysterious woman in her dreams, and receives  
a bizarre pendant that allows her to heal her friends. So we get into a fight with a Dementor  
(looks like Voldemort) who kills Shadow (;_;). I go into CAT MODE (I'm psychic, Meow!) and  
kill the Dementor. Then I revive my dead boyfriend and Ana, but then that kills me (use too  
much energy). Ana uses her SPIFFY STONE and revives me :D she's just a little tired but then  
we're all fine and we keep going. Later on, Mew gets totally mad at everyone. Shadow carries  
me through the forest when I break my ankle with a big grin on his face, then, Mew thinks to   
herself "I'd like to whipe that grin off his face" and punches him, making everyone mad at her.  
She continues to act like that until we find out she's been forced to do that because of Evilla.  
One by one, everyone dies, except for Bellossom, who helps save the day. Ana, who is knocked   
out, has another dream about that mysterious woman and gains a new pendant! She awakens and  
heals everyone, then they get rid of Evilla... FOR NOW. They continue to walk, until someone  
claiming to own Shadow's heart appears! Her name is Enida and she is Shadow's ex-fiancée!   
Naturally, I'm bawling like a baby, but then we send Enida flying when she tries to take Shadow  
back with her.  
Recently, I broke up with Shadow and went out with James. I captured Ana, Mew, and Purremon  
and took them to the boss. They were locked away in the dungeon, almost never to return. I  
got a BIG raise :p Shadow, depressed, walked into the dungeon and freed Ana, Mew, and Purremon,  
who also needed to play a little game of hide-and-hide with the guards. I came downstairs to  
find them lollygagging around, OUTSIDE THEIR PRISON CELLS! I was furious. Then, Ana talked to  
me about James and Shadow. She told me to dump James because he and Jesse were meant to be  
(*shudders* Rocketship... evil word...). I started crying and ran off into the bathroom. Ana  
talked to me for awhile, and I decided on something to make Shadow feel better. Mew accompanies  
Shadow toward the direction of me, but then an evil wolf appeared! Shadow destroyed it and   
yelled "Nothing is going to stop me from seeing the woman I love!" So Shadow comes to my  
prescence, and I, well, I kiss him ^^ And just as luck would have it, James enters. He's all  
depressed and upset, and I tell him that he and I aren't right for eachother and that's it's  
just not meant to be, so Jesse starts crying coz she thought she and James were an item. James  
talks to her, then they go out, and all is well. Ana, Mew, Purremon, me, and Shadow are all  
back to our old selves!  
Now, we've joined up with the crew of the Dungeons and Dragons animated series, and Presto and  
Ana are together! *romantic "oooh"* You'll be updated as time passes!  
  
That's all for now. If you have any questions or comments (nice ones are appreciated...),   
please contact me on ICQ (as I told you last time, 46579662) or e-mail at   
katiec@nb.sympatico.ca or stoopid_cooper@hotmail.com . Thanks for reading!  
  
Nekonezume 


	4. Chapter 3

Light, Shrouded in Darkness, Part 3  
  
©2000 This story was written by Katie (oh sure! Like I'll give you my last name!). It is totally  
100% fictional, which is why it's a fanfic! If you wanna use it on your webpage, then you must   
e-mail me at katiec@nb.sympatico.ca. If I find my fanfic on your page without my permission,   
then I will personally kill you. Have a nice day :P!  
  
LEGAL POKéMON DESCLAIMER: Pokémon, characters, names, images and all related material are   
copyrights of Nintendo. All right reserved.   
  
NO copyright infringment was intended during the writing of this story. If anything is wrong  
with copyright then please e-mail me so I can correct it. Thank you.  
  
  
  
Light, Shrouded in Darkness, Part 3  
  
The girl giggled, jingling the little bell around her neck.  
"That's right!" She purred.  
"You're... a cat-girl!" Shadow sat down. The girl smiled a little, showing one of her canines.  
"Yeah! I'm a cat-girl!... Do you not like that?" Shadow looked at her for a second, then shook  
his head.  
"Oh, of course not! I'm sorry, you just surprised me!" The cat girl laughed a little.  
"That's all right. You see, that's the reason I don't live with other people... my owner kicked  
me out of her laboratory because she unsuccessfully... oops! I've said to much!" She crept down  
on all fours and began to run off.  
"No, wait! Come back!" Shadow cried, running off after her. He jumped and grabbed her, pinning  
her to the ground.  
"Ow! Hey! You're hurting me!" The girl yelled, trying to wriggle free of Shadow's bony grip.  
"I'm sorry, but I'm trying to help you out here! Come back to the camp and talk! You're among  
friends!" He urged. The cat-girl paused.  
"Okay. But get offa me!" Shadow laughed nervously and stood, then walked back to the camp  
with the cat-girl following close behind. They sat down on a log by the fire, and Shadow handed  
the girl a blanket to keep her warm.  
"So, how old are you?" Shadow asked her. She grinned a little.  
"I'm fifteen! How about you?" Shadow laughed.  
"I really don't know. Well anyway, can you tell me a little bit about yourself?" Shadow asked  
hopefully. The cat-girl sighed and looked at the ground.  
"If you promise you won't tell anyone..." Shadow nodded, and sat closer to her. "Okay then.   
Well, I was used as an experiment. Fifteen years ago, I remember waking up... not knowing   
anything, but just remembering that I was supposed to be a male Meowth. I woke up, and looked   
around. I tried licking my paw, but I saw that it was covered in skin, without fur. I saw that  
it wasn't a paw, it was a hand. I looked around again, and noticed I was floating around in  
a strange yellow liquid. I heard a voice say 'Oh no... we've been unsuccesful.' and then another  
say 'Professor Willow, I told you you should have worn a hair net.'. I didn't know what they  
meant, but when I saw the woman, whose name was apparently Professor Willow, I noticed her  
long golden hair. I fell through a black rubber tube, and came out in the bottom of the tank I  
was floating in. 'Oh no, it's awake...' The second person said. Professor Willow smiled at me  
and said 'She's gorgeous! She looks just like me!' which got a few laughs from the other   
professors there. 'Too bad we have to destroy her.' Another added with more laughter. Willow  
looked kind of sad, and said 'We can't just destroy her, she's alive!', but others protested.  
'She doesn't feel anything, she's only a clone.' They all said. They grabbed me and headed to  
a dark room, but Willow came in and yelled some more. She grabbed me and ran outside and said to  
me 'Run! Run faster than you've ever run before!' So I did. I thanked her and ran into the  
forest." Shadow shook his head.  
"People are so cruel." He muttered. "Hang on a second." He ran over to Lillite's makeshift  
tent. "Lil! Wake up!" Lillite woke up, stretched, and yawned. Then she glowered at Shadow.  
"I was having a good dream for once. What do you want?" Shadow laughed a little.  
"Sorry. But come here for a second. And bring Meowther. I want to show you something." Lillite  
shrugged and stood, picking up her sleeping cat. She followed Shadow outside.  
"Lillite, meet... uhm... er..." Shadow began, pointing to the cat-girl.  
"Call me Willow." The cat-girl replied.  
"Meet Willow." Shadow finished triumphantly. Lillite looked at Willow with wide eyes.  
"It's... you're...!" Willow laughed.  
"I've been getting a lot of that lately. Yes, I am a... a..." Her eyes locked on Meowther,  
and they wouldn't leave. "Oh my God... that's..." She walked closer to Meowther and picked him  
up in her arms.  
"Hey! What are you doing!?" Lillite yelled. Willow started to cry.  
"It's... oh my God... I can't believe it..." She sobbed.  
"What? What's wrong?" Shadow asked, standing behind Willow and putting a hand on her shoulder.  
"This is... the Meowth Professor Willow cloned me from..." Shadow and Lillite gasped.   
"WHAT!?" They shouted in unison. Willow nodded.  
"It is him." Lillite looked confused.  
"How come... hang on! This makes sense!" Willow and Shadow looked at her. "You see, when I was  
5, we found Meowther here, and he was quite young, but not a kitten. We didn't know where he  
came from... but now I know... he came from a lab..." Lillite shook her head. "Too weird. So,  
Meowther here is like your father?" Willow nodded.   
"Not completely, but he's LIKE my father. It's funny, but I remember everything that ever  
happened to him when he was younger, since I was cloned from him, his memories were also cloned,  
you see. It was strange. All I remembered before I woke up was seeing Professor Willow there.  
She said 'It's okay, kitty. We're just using you for an experiment.'. Then I woke up, and   
remembered HIS memories." Lillite looked slightly confused.  
"How is it you're able to speak English so fluently?" She asked the cat-girl. Willow grinned.  
"Well, the human DNA gave me a bit of a humanesque voice box, but also a catlike one. My  
mouth and jaw were also shaped like a human's. My voice sounds similar to Professor Willow's,  
but a little higher with a scratchier tone, you know?" Lillite nodded.  
"I've got ya now." She replied. Shadow disappeared for a second, then reappered with a blanket  
from Lillite's makeshift tent.  
"Sorry, Lil, but I think Willow needs this." He handed the blanket to Willow.  
"Not a problem. I'm wide awake now, I don't need it." Lillite replied with a shrug. Willow  
grinned, showing off her catlike canines.  
"Thanks." She said.  
"Now," Lillite began. "My name's Lillite. As I told you earier, this Meowth is Meowther. Over  
there is my Ponyta, Sunshine." Sunshine was curled up on the ground, fast asleep. "Do you mind  
if I ask you a few questions?" Willow shook her head. "All right then. If it's been fifteen  
years since you've been alive, how come you haven't a place to live? Why don't you have any  
friends? Why are you here all alone?" Willow smiled, a hint of sadness appearing in her eyes.  
"Every time I've travelled to a new town, anyone who saw me got scared. They called me a freak,  
monster, animal, everything. I was only looking for a friend. This one little girl decided to  
play with me once, she thought I was 'interesting', as she put it. She was maybe, six or seven  
years old. We played outside for a little while, but her mother saw me out the window and took  
the little girl away," at this point, Willow had started to cry. "Her mother said 'I don't  
want you playing with that animal! Who knows what it is or where it's been?', but the little  
girl was crying. 'No, Mommy! She's my friend! Let me play!' I had never been so hurt in my  
entire life." She took a deep breath, and wiped a tear from her eye. "I've always felt like an  
outcast. No matter where I go, people shun me because I'm different. Because I'm part Pokémon,  
part human. I'm surprised you people want to even look at me... I'm a monster!" She buried her  
face in the blanket and started sobbing. Lillite sat on the log beside her and put her hand on  
her shoulder.  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked these questions. But Shadow and I have only known you for  
a very short time now, and we know we like you." Willow peaked out from the blanket a little.  
"Do you mean it?" She whispered between sobs. Lillite smiled.  
"Yeah, I do. Anyone who doesn't like you because you're different is no better than any of   
those... DAMN Rockets. They're really not. Shad and I aren't people who judge on appearance. I  
mean, look at Shadow for goodness' sake!"  
"Thanks a lot." Shadow muttered offensivley. Lillite laughed.  
"Oh, I didn't mean that. But seriously. He's half human, half Shadow Dweller! He doesn't mind   
that, do ya, Shad?" Shadow chuckled a little.  
"Of course I don't mind eating the souls of the living. It's like a hobby." Lillite rolled her  
eyes.  
"Apparently, sarcasm is a hobby of yours as well." Shadow shook his head.  
"Whatever." He replied, stifling laughter. Willow giggled.  
"Well... you've made me feel a LOT better... I feel really accepted now." Lillite grinned and  
wiped away all of Willow's tears.  
"That's the spirit! Now, I'm going to go to bed now, but if you're tired I'm sure Shadow would  
be happy to stay out here to keep you company. Right, Shadow?" Shadow laughed a little more.  
"Why not?" He replied, walking over to Willow and sitting beside her. Lillite started to walk  
to the tent. "Hey, Lil!" Shadow called after her.  
"Huh?" Lillite turned around to look at him. "What?"  
"I thought you said you were wide awake?" Lillite smirked, stretched, and yawned.  
"Yeah, well, you know, I lied. 'Night all!" Shadow shook his head again and sat down beside  
Willow.  
"So, looks like we're going to be spending the night with you!... Since I never sleep. Bah."   
Willow smiled a little.  
"I'm kind of glad. I need someone to talk to." She replied.  
"All right. What would you like to talk about?" Willow put on a seductive look and lay her head  
gently on Shadow's shoulder. Shadow laughed nervously a bit.  
"I want to know about YOU." She purred, drawing little circles on his chest. Shadow laughed  
again.  
"Well, I, er, don't really remember anything..." He coughed a bit and slowly but gently put  
his arm around Willow, just to keep her warm. But that wasn't what Willow thought. She thought  
he was making moves on her. She giggled.  
"I do think you and I would make a good couple you know!" She said slyly. Then Shadow realized  
that she thought he was actually trying to make moves on her.  
"Wh-what!?" He sputtered, quickly removing his arm from around her. "I didn't mean-"  
"I know what you meant!" Willow interrupted, the look on her face turning anxious. "There's no  
need to deny it or feel nervous."  
"But, hang on!" Shadow continued. "I'm part Shadow Dweller! You don't want me! I could eat you  
sometime involuntarily!" He gave a quick squirm and the Dweller took over.  
"THAT'S RIGHT!" Shadow took over. Again.  
"See? You don't want someone like me!" Willow giggled.  
"Well, that's where you're wrong! We have a lot in common!" She grabbed his arm back and put  
it around her.  
"Just because we're both half-something, that doesn't really say we have a lot in common! You  
remember your past, I don't! We have practically nothing in common!" Willow smiled.  
"Well, opposites DO attract. Come on!... Unless you're... Oh my God! I can't believe I never  
realized this before!" She slapped a paw to her forehead.  
"Is... something wrong?" Shadow asked in a confused tone of voice. Willow's paw moved from her  
forehead to her mouth.  
"You're..." She whispered in a muffled voice.  
"I'm what!?" Shadow yelled. "Come on! Spit it out!" Willow closed her eyes, laughed, then  
removed the paw from her mouth.  
"You're gay, aren't you?" Shadow sat there for a second, stunned.  
*HAHAHAHA!* The Dweller inside him laughed. *GUESS YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE SHUNNED A LADY LIKE THAT,  
SHADOW!* Shadow got really embarassed.  
"No! No! No, definetly not- no! Not even at all! NO!" Willow giggled.  
"I'm sorry. That was a little bit... sudden of me. I didn't have any evidence. It was wrong  
of me to accuse you." Shadow laughed.  
"Hey, no harm done. But really, I wasn't coming on to you when I put my arm around you. Just  
a little extra warmth, you know?" Willow nodded.  
"Yeah, I know. I didn't mean to be such a flirt either... that's not me... I'm just not used  
to being around men, that's all."   
"I completely understand! I'm not used to being around women either. But I do have to say   
this... you're very beautiful. If I knew who I really was... if I was HUMAN... I might ask  
you out." Willow's round cat face began to glow a deep crimson.  
"You really mean it? You would?" Shadow nodded.  
"Sure, why not? But hey, you're just a kid! Who KNOWS how old I am? It might even be illegal  
for us to go out." He laughed. Willow laughed too.  
"So, why don't you tell me... what do you think about Lillite?" Shadow shifted on the log and  
coughed uncomfortably.  
"Well... to tell the truth... she is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. The...  
first day I ever saw her... I did everything I could to keep myself from taking her in my arms  
and kissing her..." Willow looked into the fire.  
"Wow... so... do you think you're in love with her?" Shadow laughed.  
"You know something, Willow? I really don't know. I know I like her a lot. I know she's  
beautiful, and sexy, and everything like that but... I haven't known her for that long. Just  
a few days." Willow looked at Shadow, enchantment dancing in her eyes.  
"That's so romantic," she purred. "I hope that someday I find myself a guy as romantic as you!"  
"Thanks, Willow. That means a lot to me. I'm sure when you're older you'll find the perfect  
man for you. Someone who will look past your catlike exterior and accept you for who you are."  
Shadow was expecting a reply at this time, but looked down to find Willow fast asleep.   
  
Lillite had overheard the entire conversation that had taken place with Willow and Shadow.   
Every last word of it. She lay down in complete disbelief.  
*This can't be...* She thought. *It's impossible that someone like him would ever go for a   
woman like me! It's not right! He's part Dweller, I'm human! Why, oh WHY would he EVER want   
someone like me? Why?! It makes no sense! None! I mean, I was so cruel to him... so cold... so   
unlike my name...* Tears began to spill down her face as she whispered aloud: "Oh, mama. Oh,  
papa. Why did you curse me with this name? Why with this ring? With this destiny? I don't   
deserve it! I'm cold! My heart is black... I have no true feeling... except numbness. Mama,   
papa! Light is warm, healing and soothing. I am anything but that..." She buried her face in  
her pillow and cried.   
  
Shadow heard the sobbing of Lillite coming from the tent. Slowly and gently, he rested Willow's  
head on the log. He headed to the tent.  
"Lil?" He whispered. Lillite gasped in surprise.  
"Sh-Shadow...?" She whispered back.   
"Yeah, it's me... can I come in?" Lillite sat up.  
"Yes... I suppose..." She replied. Shadow entered and sat down beside her.   
"Oh, Lil..." He murmered, brushing the tears from her eyes. "What happened? Why are you   
crying?" Lillite shut her eyes tight.  
"Shadow..." She whispered, tears falling from her eyes like a heavy rain. "I am so sorry..."  
She collapsed in his arms.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
NOTES  
  
Okay, this fic is starting to get a little sappy and uninteresting, I know, but soon it will  
get a lot better, longer, and hopefully a lot more interesting.   
  
I know this is the place I USUALLY talk about mine and Ana's story, but we've sort of stopped  
it, I think. I don't even remember where we left off anymore. But now, I have something that  
may slightly interest you! Now, after this series is finished, I think I'm going to write a  
bunch of prequels. They will be told by one person and one person alone. Each prequel will be  
about one particular character. So far, i have plans to make one for Shadow, one for Lillite,  
and one for Willow. However, I will add more characters as time goes on, so there will be other  
prequels as well. I'm hoping for this fic to have 8 chapters at the very least, plus the  
prologue as well as an epilogue. After the prequels I may even make a sequel. I plan on   
expanding this series as much as I can, because I love writing things like this.  
  
Right now I'm enjoying what's happening with Lillite and Shadow. You'll see that they're very  
slowly (but surely) getting closer to each other. I already have the ending planned for this  
fic, and it's going to be quite sappy :p but I personally like what I have planned for it and  
I'm going to have mucho fun writing the rest of this series!  
  
That's all for now. If you have any questions or comments (nice ones are appreciated...),   
please contact me on ICQ (as I told you last time, 46579662) or e-mail at   
katiec@nb.sympatico.ca or stoopid_cooper@hotmail.com . Thanks for reading!  
  
Nekonezume  



	5. Chapter 4

Light, Shrouded in Darkness, Part 4  
  
©2001 This story was written by Katie (oh sure! Like I'll give you my last name!). It is totally  
100% fictional, which is why it's a fanfic! If you wanna use it on your webpage, then you must   
e-mail me at katiec@nb.sympatico.ca. If I find my fanfic on your page without my permission,   
then I will personally kill you. Have a nice day :P!  
  
LEGAL POKéMON DESCLAIMER: Pokémon, characters, names, images and all related material are   
copyrights of Nintendo. All right reserved.   
  
NO copyright infringment was intended during the writing of this story. If anything is wrong  
with copyright then please e-mail me so I can correct it. Thank you.  
  
  
Light, Shrouded in Darkness, Part 4  
  
  
"Lil? Hello? Why are you crying?" Shadow repeated as Lillite sobbed into his chest. Lillite  
looked up at him.  
"I'm sorry!" She said again. Shadow was a bit confused.  
"Huh? Why?" He asked. Lillite shook her head and sat up, brushing the tears away with her hands  
balled into fists.  
"N-nevermind..." She whispered. "S-sorry I scared you..." Shadow shook his head.  
"I... thought you were asleep?" He said, hoping she hadn't heard the conversation that had just  
taken place. Lillite nodded.  
"Th-that's what was wrong... I was asleep... but I had a nightmare and... and I woke up." She  
lied. Shadow mentally sighed with relief.  
"I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like to talk about the dream?" Lillite looked down and shook  
her head.  
"No thanks, Shad." Shadow shook his head as well.  
"You know, if you talk about it, it may make you feel better." He pointed out. "You might   
forget about the dream, or not dream it again." Lillite giggled and pushed him playfully.  
"Come off it, Shad. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me!" She said with a big grin. Shadow   
laughed a bit, but was still concerned.  
"If you're sure. Night, Lil!" He headed outside, but Lillite stopped him.  
"Shadow?" She whispered. Shadow turned around and looked at her.  
"Yeah?" Lillite leaned forward and gave him a hug.   
"Thanks." She said with a smile. Shadow was a bit confused, but he shrugged it off. He walked  
outside.  
*WELL?* The Dweller urged in Shadow's head.   
*Well, what?* Shadow replied.  
*I'M STARVING.* The Dweller took over and slunk around the tent, and into the woods.  
*Oh, right, that.*  
  
The next morning, Lillite awoke to find Willow poking at the fire with a stick.   
"Morning, Willow." Lillite said with a cheery grin. Willow jumped slightly, surprised, and  
dropped the stick into the fire.  
"Oh! You scared me!" She cried. Lillite looked embarassed.  
"Sorry. Have you seen Shadow this morning?" Willow nodded.  
"He came back here at around five AM when it was starting to get light out once more. Then he  
told me to go back to sleep... so I did. Then he nudged me awake at about nine AM and told me he  
was going to get some breakfast." She said solemnly. Lillite scanned the area.  
"Oh, good, at least this time he didn't steal my horse." She remarked with a laugh. Willow   
wrinkled up her nose in confusion.  
"Huh?" She asked. Lillite grinned.  
"Oh, nothing."  
  
Shadow arrived at the lake. It was about ten o'clock in the morning, and it had taken him quite  
some time to trek there. He, of course, didn't mind, since he had company. His Charmeleon   
grinned as they approached the lake.  
"Meleon!" He said with a sigh of relief. Shadow chuckled lightly.  
"Finally indeed, it did take us quite some time to get here." He said with a shrug. "I'd better  
get some fish before the girls starve." He cast the fishing rod spell and began fishing.   
Charmeleon heard a rustling in the bushes, and turned around.  
"Char..." He whispered to Shadow.   
"What?" Shadow asked, turning his head to look at Charmeleon, who nodded toward the bushes.  
"Who's there?" Shadow called. "Show yourself!" Then, just as would be expected, a Rocket jumped  
out. "Oh, great. This is just what I need." The Rocket looked at Shadow oddly.  
"Listen, I'm just absolutely starving, okay? I haven't eaten in days! I got left behind my  
group... sort of." Since they were in a shaded area, the Dweller's voice kicked in.  
"I'M STARVING TOO, YOU KNOW." He said with an evil laugh. "MAYBE I COULD MAKE A MEAL OUT OF   
YOU." The Rocket shook his head.  
"P-please, no! Really! I mean you no harm! If you'll spare me some fish then I promise you,   
I'll leave you and your Charmeleon alone...!" The Dweller walked closer to the Rocket.  
"AND IF YOU'RE LYING?" He taunted. The Rocket cringed.  
"Y-y-you may eat my soul..." He whimpered. The Dweller laughed.  
"FOR A ROCKET, YOU SURE ARE COWARDLY. FINE, I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO. BUT I'VE GOT OTHER MOUTHS  
TO FEED MYSELF, SO IT'LL COST YOU." He said. The Rocket sighed.  
"What do I have to do?" He asked in a huff, rolling his eyes. The Dweller laughed once more.  
"IF YOU HAVE ANY GOLD, THAT WILL DO JUST FINE." He sneered. The Rocket cocked an eyebrow.  
"What are you going to do with-"  
"JUST GIVE IT TO ME!"  
The Rocket nervously removed a leather sack from his belt and tossed it to the Dweller.  
"Here you go, all right? Now may I PLEASE have some food?" He asked unhappily. Shadow took   
over.  
"What, are you going to eat it raw? After I catch some I'll take you back to the camp. Even  
if you are a..." he paused, loathe slipping off his tongue like butter on hot cakes. "Rocket."  
The Rocket bowed down before Shadow.  
"Th-thank you! You won't regret this, I swear!" He cried happily. Shadow huffed.  
"Stand up, you look like an idiot. What should I call you, anyway?" He asked. The Rocket stood  
up.  
"My name is Kamar. What should I call you? Blackie? Midnight?" He wondered with a slight grin.   
Shadow rolled his eyes (which of course was not visable to Kamar).  
"Give me a break! I'm not a cat. Call me Shadow." Kamar smirked.  
"Well, now you sound more like a dog."  
  
After about an hour of fishing, Shadow caught five large fish.  
"All right, now I have one for everybody." He said happily. He glanced at Kamar. "We're ready  
to go now. The trek back'll take about an hour. You up for it?" Kamar stod bravely.  
"I'm ready for anything," He stated in a false tone of boldness. Shadow laughed.  
"Spare the drama and just follow me. Come, Charmelon." He did a quick counter-spell to make his  
rod disappear, picked up the fish, and headed out in the direction he came.  
  
"Odd..." Lillite mused, poking at the fire with a stick to keep it roaring. "You'd think   
Shadow'd be back with breakfast by now. I wonder what's taking so long?" Willow looked toward  
Lillite and shrugged.  
"Hard to say," she began slowly. "Perhaps he caught a real whopper and didn't want to let it   
go?" Lillite laughed.  
"True. He and his dignity." She shook her head, an odd half-smile peeking out from the corner  
of her mouth.   
"Perhaps..." Willow began. Lillite looked at her, noticing Willow's face grow solemn. "Perhaps  
he was attacked by a Rocket..." Lillite laughed once more.  
"Of course he wasn't. Shadow's a SHADOW DWELLER. If he were attacked by a Rocket, he would just  
eat his soul. Besides, Rockets know better than to pick a fight with a Dweller... except for the  
dumbasses, that is." Willow giggled in return. Despite the fact Lillite made a big joke of it,  
she really was worried about Shadow.   
  
An hour later, Shadow, Kamar, and Charmeleon arrived back at the camp.  
"THERE you are!" Lillite cried with a mental sigh of relief. "I was getting worried." Shadow  
laughed.  
"Don't worry about me. Meet my new friend, Kamar." He said, making a hand gesture toward Kamar.  
"Yes, he IS a Rocket, but throw him a bone. He's hungry." Willow was the first to notice Kamar.  
She noticed his strong yet still young arms, his shaggy black hair, his strong-yet-slender   
physique. He looked to be about sixteen; just older than Willow herself. Willow practically   
drooled on the spot. She walked forward, face blushing slightly crimson.  
"H-hi..." she began, flustered and not knowing what to say. "I'm Willow..." Kamar smiled back.  
He, too, noticed her own beauty. Despite the fact she had pointy, black ears and a curly beige-  
brown tail, her silky golden hair was what struck him most. He took her hand and kissed it.  
"Enchanté," he said in a very gentlemanlike way. Willow smiled.   
"Pleasure's all mine." She whispered. Lillite, however, frowned and shook her head.  
"I don't see how this is okay. Seriously, this guy is a ROCKET. He could cut out throats and  
steal all we have!" She hissed. Shadow laughed and held up the bag of gold he had acquired back  
at the lake.  
"We don't need to worry about him. He's a bit of a coward." He remarked, glancing at Kamar.  
"No offense." Kamar chuckled lightly.  
"None taken. To tell the truth, I was kicked out of Team Rocket recently anyway. Apparently I  
was too 'cowardly'." He shrugged. "Anyway, I am absolutely DYING of starvation. Any chance we  
might get some food any time soon?" Shadow nodded.  
"Sure, but I'm afraid you'll have to earn it." He laughed a bit. Kamar rolled his eyes.  
"Come on, man! I don't have any gold left!" He protested in a whiny voice. Shadow shook his   
head.  
"No no. I mean you'll have to help me cook it." He replied. Kamar sighed with relief.  
"Okay, good enough! I don't mind at all." He said with a grin. Shadow looked toward the girls.  
"Would you two please collect some sticks? Kamar and I will prepare the fish while you do."  
Willow and Lillite nodded and rushed into the woods. Shadow laughed a bit, once more.  
"Now, the fun starts." He pulled out his sword, and in a swift, fluidlike motion, he chopped  
the head off one deceased fish.  
  
Lillite and Willow hunted for sticks intently. Lillite hunted under trees, while Willow hunted  
ON trees.  
"No, Willow..." Lillite began. "We can't get sticks from a living tree. We have to get dead   
ones." Willow looked at Lillite.  
"Hm? Why?" She asked. Lillite bent over and picked up a dead stick.  
"Live trees are too difficult to remove branches from. It's much easier to just find some dead  
ones and simply pick them up. No problem there." Willow nodded, and scouted around on the   
forest's floor.  
"Sooo..." She began, a sneaky grin climbing up her face. "How do you feel about Shadow?"   
Lillite dropped a stick she was holding, then abruptly picked it up again.  
"What do you mean by that?" She asked nervously. She had wanted to forget about the   
conversation Willow and Shadow had the night before. Willow flashed a sly look at her.  
"You know. Do you, like him?" She bent down and picked up her own stick. Lillite laughed   
nervously.  
"S-sure, I mean, like, as a friend and all, you know?" She stuttered, face starting to flush.  
Did Willow know she had heard the conversation?  
"Oh, I really don't think so!" Willow giggled. Lillite cocked an eyebrow, pretending to be   
confused.  
"I haven't the faintest what you're talking about," She lied. Willow giggled again.  
"Oh, I think you do." She grinned. Lillite picked up another stick and started to walk back.  
"No, I don't, Willow. Let's just drop it, okay?" She huffed. Willow smiled sweetly.  
"Sure!" She called back. *I'm going to play matchmaker whether they liked it or not!* She   
picked up another stick and walked back to the camp.  
  
"Oh, perfect!" Shadow shouted when he saw the girls returning with plenty of sticks. "Just in  
time, too." Lillite handed him some sticks, as did Willow, and they tossed the rest in the fire.  
"Now, you just need to SPEAR them onto the STICK like so..." Shadow said, spearing one so hard  
onto the stick it caused extra stress on the words "spear" and "stick". Kamar took one and did  
just as Shadow had, only not quite as hard. Willow and Lillite did the same. "Good job. Now.  
just roast the fish in the fire for a little while, until it's cooked, and there you have it."  
Kamar started to drool as soon as he put the fish into the fire, removing it every five minutes  
or so to se if it was cooked. He was right; he was starving.  
  
After everyone had eaten, Shadow started to pack up their things and load them onto Sunshine.  
"Hey, where are you going?" Kamar asked. Shadow looked over at him.  
"We're going to find some Rockets and destroy them." He told him with hate. Kamar grinned and  
started punching a fist into his palm.  
"Mind if I come along? I'm up for a bit of Rocket squashing, to tell the truth." He said.   
Shadow laughed.   
"Well, you want to come with us, then?" He asked hopefully. Despite the fact Kamar's courage  
was slightly under average, Shadow knew he was a strong warrior at heart. Kamar looked dreamily  
at Willow.  
"Anything to stay with this beauty..." He breathed. Willow blushed.   
"So, then, it's settled." Lillite offered. "But we'll have to take turns on Sunshine. Only  
two can go at a time, I'm sorry to say." Kamar grinned triumphantly.  
"Fear not, my lady." He reached inside another leather sack and removed a Poké Ball. He   
released the Pokémon inside, revealing the fact that it was indeed...  
A Rapidash.  
Kamar smiled gallantly at Willow.   
"I shall ride with Willow this fine day." He said with a big dopey grin. Lillite looked over  
at Shadow.  
"Looks like you and Charmeleon are stuck with me!" She said, almost TOO enthusiastically. She  
hopped on Sunshine, as did Shadow. Shadow put his arms around her waist so to stay on the   
Ponyta. Lillite blushed as he did so, and Charmeleon hopped on Shadow's back, clinging to his  
neck. Kamar helped Willow mount the horse, then he mounted it himself. Willow wrapped her arms  
around Kamar's waist, making him grin.   
"Well, Shadow?" Lillite began. "Which way shall we go?" Shadow thought for a moment.  
"Go straight." He ordered. Lillite nodded and headed off. Strangely, when Shadow looked down at  
his finger, he could see his ring glowing. He couldn't explain it, and he even wondered himself.  
But, he just shrugged, and pretended it was normal.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
NOTES  
  
Okay, I just figured out why the Dark and Light Mage Rings glow around eachother ^^ But I'm not  
sure whether you'll all be confused, surprised, or whether you'll think it predictable. Nonethe-  
less, I think this series is going along quite well. Okay, so Kamar's a bit of a dip, and a   
sappy romantic, but at least Willow's found someone who truly cares about her. So there you   
have it! Next time, these four (plus the Pokémon) are going to find a small town that... well,  
you'll see!   
  
Now, as soon as this series is finished, I plan on writing the Epilogue's epilogue, that will  
reveal some secrets (like why the Rings react around one another, for example) I may have hidden  
around in here ^.^ some you may realize, some you probably wouldn't have even guessed. Ever. No,  
I'm not going to make them impossible, or hard to believe, but surprising, to say the least.  
  
Well, that's all until next time. As usual, if you have any questions or comments (nice ones   
are appreciated...), please contact me on ICQ (as I told you last time, 46579662) or e-mail at   
katiec@nb.sympatico.ca or stoopid_cooper@hotmail.com . Thanks for reading!   
  
Nekonezume/Malon/Katie  



End file.
